Legislators Seek End Of A To F Grading For Alternative Schools

January 2, 2006|By Scott Travis Education Writer

Almost every Florida school that serves students at risk of dropping out received an F grade last year, prompting some educators and legislators to find a new way to measure how well these schools are doing.

State Rep. John Stargell, R-Lakeland, and Rep. Ralph Arza, R-Hialeah, will sponsor legislation during this year's session allowing exemptions from A-through-F grades.

The change could be a big relief for the dozen or so alternative schools in South Florida labeled as failing, including Lanier-James Education Center in Hallandale Beach and Roosevelt Full Service Center in West Palm Beach.

"When you put all students who are struggling in one program and then use the same yardstick as other schools, you're going to get an F," said Stargell, who supports most aspects of the state's A-Plus system for accountability.

The current system "creates a clear picture of something we already knew. These students are under-performing," Stargell said.

Alternative schools used to be ungraded, prompting critics to question whether they were being held accountable. They were graded for the first time in 2005.

Under the proposal, which likely would take effect next school year, alternative schools could choose not to receive a letter grade. They instead would be labeled improving, maintaining or declining, based on how well their students performed on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, compared to the previous year.

Half of a school's grade currently is based on improvement. But students must show at least a year's worth of progress to get credit. The change would allow a school to be labeled improving, even if students show only a quarter or half a year's progress, Stargell said.

Any school -- public or charter -- designated as alternative could be eligible. Charter schools that could be eligible include Survivors, which operates in Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach, and Life Skills Center in several locations in Palm Beach County and one in Plantation.

Katherine Burns, business liaison for Charters in Boynton Beach, said she likes that the proposal recognizes that alternative schools serve a different mission than regular schools.

"I see these schools as a crime-prevention tool," she said. "The longer we keep youth in school, the less likely they are to be involved in crime."

Statistics from the state Department of Corrections indicate that the majority of criminals in prison did not receive a high school diploma.

The proposal also has the support of the school districts in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Peggy Morrison-Thurston, alternative education director in Broward County, said her district's lobbyist is pushing for the legislation.

"Our concern is that when children come to an alternative center, they are so far behind," she said. "In order to make gains, it's going to take a lot of remediation."

Many of the students do improve, she said, but it's not to the level required by the state's grading system. At seven alternative schools in the county, 85 to 90 percent of students are reading and performing math at a Level 1, which is the lowest of five FCAT levels. The state requires students to be at a Level 3 to be considered proficient.

Palm Beach County schools lobbyist Vernon Pickup-Crawford also thinks the current grading system is unfair.

"Alternative ed by its very nature means they are there for a limited time. If we're going to measure progress, it should be how well they have done since they have been in the program, not the standard measurement."

In Palm Beach County, all four of its alternative schools were rated F, prompting the district to reorganize the department and contract many of them to private vendors.

State Education Commissioner John Wynn has no problem with the proposal, said Jennifer Fennell, spokeswoman for the Department of Education

"As long as there's something in place where there's accountability, he supports it," she said.

Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6637.